The Tower: A Novel

This short novel is centered around Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment in Lochleven Castle for eleven months. Having lost power after the murder of Lord Darnley, Mary is the prisoner of her subjects and at a desperate crossroads. She suffers a miscarriage and is forced to abdicate her throne, all while being spied on by her keepers. But Mary, and the few women who still serve her, are determined to escape. This novel is almost insular in its examination of a small period in Mary's life and much of the book takes place in the same small rooms. Still, it makes for interesting reading, accomplishing insights that works seeking to capture more of Mary's life fail to do, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Mary Queen of Scots.

Defeated in battle, Mary the Queen is taken first to Edinburgh and then to remote Lochleven castle, situated on an island. She is not allowed to have any of ladies in waiting, just two chambermaids, French-born Cuckoo and plain Scots Jane. The conditions are poor and Mary suffers firstly from a miscarriage and then from being deposed in favour of her son. Still a flame burns in Mary and her women, lately augmented by her childhood companion Mary Seton are determined to help.
The story of Mary, Queen of Scots, is often treated as a romantic fantasy. This is not the case here. Mary is woman who has made mistakes but is still determined to survive and regain her throne. The focus is more on her entourage, the humble serving women who are show more fiercely loyal, and it works really well. The descriptions are honest and the characters show real development. show less

It took a while to get into this and the author does assume that the reader knows something of the past of Mary Queen of Scots. The story begins as Mary has been dethroned and is taken to a remote castle where she is held as prisoner with two women who are not her usual ladies in waiting. Cuckoo, a girl from France, and Jane, another young women who does not speak French are her ladies while she is also watched by Margaret Erskine, the lady of the castle and her unlikeable daughter -in-law Agnes.

The story focuses on the friendship that develops among the women in these unusual circumstances. Eventually Mary Seton, Queen Mary's long time friend and lady in waiting also arrives which alters the relationships; however, a loving show more relationship develops between Seton and Jane.

The book ends as Mary does manage to escape with Jane. show less